A Journal of Historical Fiction

Issue 1.1

Welcome to the inaugural issue of Circa!

When Circa opened for submissions in January, I didn’t want to limit the types of stories authors submitted by stubbornly insisting on a theme. But as submissions arrived and the months rolled on, a theme emerged regardless: Journeys. Most of the characters contained in these pages embark on a journey, whether it be geographical or internal. Either way, I couldn’t have found a better metaphor for the first issue of this new endeavor.

We begin with “Anna the Dissident” by Charlie Britten, which centres on a Polish dissident from Communism during the Solidarity era. After the death of her husband, a political radical, Anna finds she must tie up some loose ends.

“Fitzgerald’s Decision” by Katharine O’Flynn tells the heartbreaking story of the Lost Patrol of the Northwest Mounted Police from perspective of its leader, Inspector Francis Joseph Fitzgerald. She writes, “The parallel to Scott’s fatal journey in the Antarctic is evident: both Scott and Fitzgerald fought their way back heartbreakingly close to safety, but, because of bad luck, couldn’t quite make it.”

And as we’re on the subject, we have “Maintiens le Droit”, Norman A. Rubin’s nonfiction piece on the history of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

Melissa Kuipers contributed “The Aquitania.” Taken from the opening chapters of her novel-in-progress, it was inspired by her own grandmother’s experience coming to Canada as a war bride after World War Two.

“Galileo’s Vision” by Gwendolyn Edward takes us on a chilling journey into the mind of Galileo Galilei in the early days of his descent into blindness.

“Ayah”, set in Northern India during the British Raj, is by K. A. Richards. She writes, “Simla, as it’s now called, inspired this piece. My first day there, I thought: I know this place, and I know the sort who lived here during the Raj. I didn’t know Elsie’s name yet, but I knew where she’d lived.”

Finally, Tatiana Morand’s “The Honest and Absolute Truth” is a piece of speculative fiction set during the Second World War. Morand wondered, “What kind of difference would it have made if Rosie the Riveter was actually Rosie the Riveted?”

Special thanks go to Eleanor Bennett, who contributed the cover photo to this issue.

So I welcome you all aboard as we set off on adventures through history and across the globe. Welcome to Circa!